Braintree Mayoral Candidates Night Is Coming Up

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree residents will have one last chance to see the candidates for mayor share the stage and tell voters why they should be elected to lead the town. A candidates night was scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the town hall. District 1 Town Councilor Charles Kokoros and Electric Light Board chair Thomas Reynolds Jr. will use the last candidate's forum to try to convince voters why they should be elected Braintree's next mayor.

The candidates will discuss issues like potential rezoning changes and the aging of the town's schools and other buildings. Both issues have been in the forefront this entire election season.

Kokoros told Patch in his candidate profile the most pressing issues facing Braintree are the proposed 40R high-density residential development and the comprehensive rezone plan. He said he wants a master plan being done before any changes to zoning are made and said he wants Braintree to maintain its "small-town character and sense of community."

Many residents have expressed similar views. A Planning Board meeting last April saw hundreds of residents fill Town Hall in protest to a new zoning proposal over worries it would allow for overcrowded housing developments.

"As mayor, I will withdraw the comprehensive zoning proposal and continue my support in funding a new master plan," Kokoros said in Patch candidate profile.

Reynolds told Patch the most important issue facing Braintree is to figure out how the town goes about upgrading aging buildings and other infrastructure without creating an additional burden on the taxpayer or cutting the level of service.

"Our schools have always been a priority and the level of education offered to our children," Reynolds said in a Patch candidate profile. "The ability of the next mayor to balance the cost of maintaining the quality of our educational programs while at the same time, managing to provide revenues to address the aging town water treatment plant, a outdated fire department headquarters and a rundown DPW facility are just a few of the high cost upgrades to our infrastructure and the significant challenge they pose to all of us in Braintree."

Still deciding who to vote for in November's election? Check out the profiles Patch did for the two remaining candidates.

Patch Profiles for Braintree's Mayoral Candidates

• Braintree Candidate Profile: Charles Kokoros For Mayor
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Thomas Reynolds Jr. For Mayor